


A Pen for a Sword

by seraphic_gate



Category: IDOLiSH7 (Video Game)
Genre: AU, F/M, Hoshimeguri, Lama!Tsumugi, M/M, Polygamy, Three-way romance, mild violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-13
Updated: 2019-09-26
Packaged: 2019-10-09 18:33:09
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 13,744
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17412053
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/seraphic_gate/pseuds/seraphic_gate
Summary: Orion has just ascended to the title of king by overthrowing his own father with the help of his loyal assassin, Erin.  However, even Erin cannot guide him through matters of state, and for that he needs a talented young law assistant who will ride into a new kind of battle with him.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Ok sorry there’s going to be a lot of notes here lol
> 
> I am not renaming Tsumugi here for the following reasons.  
> 1\. Her name is already semi-astral having to do with the rabbit in the moon and all that  
> 2\. I feel it would be immersion breaking to keep having to remind yourself random name = tsumugi
> 
> However, I AM renaming all the minor characters I’m introducing here like Papa Takanashi, Daddy Yaotome, Kaoru, etc. because those are not as important and would be a little distracting otherwise?
> 
> I handled it as best I could (lol) sorry.
> 
> Second thing: even though this is prior to the Throne of the Stellar story by about two years, I’m going to say Erin/Riku and Tsumugi are 18 while Gaku/Orion is 21 because otherwise it gets complicated and I’m going to confuse myself so just uhh... go with that.
> 
> LAST I PROMISE  
> I am still working from my phone, so please forgive weird formatting and capitalization.

Orion had started taking audiences in the throne room, something his father had never done. There was a reason for that, as he soon found out. People were angry.

The petitioners were checked for weapons when they entered, of course they were. But even the best security measures didn’t weed out an angry fellow who managed to hide a knife on his person. He rushed the throne.

A throwing dagger shot down from somewhere above. Erin ended him so quickly, Orion hadn’t even stood up.

Erin flipped down from the rafters above and kicked the body to make sure he was dead. “That’s the second one this week,” he said, and clicked his tongue.

Orion groaned. “Did you have to kill him?”

“Well, yeah?”

“He wasn’t any threat to me, I could have disarmed him.”

“And you could have been stabbed too,” Erin said. “I don’t take chances.”

He sank into his throne as men came to drag the body away. It still felt too big for him. “Bring in the next one, then.”

Erin clapped to hurry the moderators along. “Chop chop, come on.”

When the next person entered, his eyes widened to find it was a young woman. She was blonde and lovely, with big red eyes like a rabbit’s. They were focused on him with such determination he straightened up in his seat under her glare.

“Ah,” he stammered. There was still a blood stain on the floor. “Erin, clean this up! A lady shouldn’t—“

The young woman was not disturbed, and stepped over the puddle of blood. “King Orion,” she said, bowing only as much as was customary before raising her head to stare into his soul once again. “I am Tsumugi, the daughter of Eridanus, whom you have unfairly imprisoned.”

“Eridanus...” Orion had to stop himself from marveling at her determination and poise. “Ah, my father’s attendant. Yes, he was amongst the group of men locked up for treason.”

“My father never received a proper trial!” She clutched her hand to her chest and threw the other arm out wide, speaking loudly and passionately. “My father would never conspire against Lama!”

Orion was silent a moment. She stood her ground, but she was shaking.

“You’re brave to come here to fight on behalf of your father, I admire that.”

“I...” she seemed out off by that statement, but quickly recovered herself. “I’ll fight for my father and for every other Laman man and woman who you have imprisoned without trial!”

“Ah, I see, you have a bad impression of me.” 

“She is standing in some blood,” Erin chuckled. 

“That’s your fault.” He sighed and calmed himself before looking at her again. “The truth, Tsumugi, is that your father and many others are in holding until I can sort through their stories and find proper judges and lawyers to try them. It’s hard to find officials who aren’t corrupt in the wake of recent events. I understand that this is unjust, as under normal circumstances every Laman citizen has the right to a prompt trial. But with the shift in power, it just isn’t possible.”

“Ah...”. She processed his words and her shoulders relaxed to a degree. “Then, may I at least see him? My father and the others have families that are worried for them.”

“I’m sorry, that was my oversight.” He stood up and stepped down from the throne.

He extended his hand to shake hers. “I give you my word, I’ll take you to see him myself.”

She took his hand and shook it. She didn’t seem to know what to do with him, now that he was sympathetic towards her. 

“And,” she said, regaining her bravado, “and you must arrange legal aide for everyone, immediately!”

“You have my word.” He waved to Erin. “Make certain she’s housed in the castle, and her needs are met while she waits.”

“Okay, King.”

“And clean up this blood, dammit.”

She bowed again. This time her bow was so deep that she almost touched the floor. “Thank you, my king.”

“Don’t thank me, it’s my duty to you as a citizen of Lama.”

A guard showed her out. She looked back at him once more before leaving the room. Her face wasn’t burning with righteous anger anymore. Instead, there was uncertainty there.

“Erin,” he said, as he seated himself again. “Go and get me all the information you can find on that woman.”

“Aye, King, try not to let anyone stab you while I’m gone.”

***

As soon as Tsumugi cleared the door she doubled over and gasped for breath. He was so scary! Even when he said words that sounded kind, his face was frozen in a scowl. And he was so tall! When he stood up next to her she felt small as a mouse.

“This way, my lady,” the guard said.

“Oh, that’s right, he wants me to stay here for the day.” She followed the man down the hall and deeper into the castle.

She was shown to the east wing and into a small furnished room. There was a dresser and a bed inside.

“Feel free to walk about the castle,” the guard said. “King Orion will be in audience until early morning, I am sure.”

“He takes that many? I have already been waiting a week just to see him.”

“He won’t turn anyone away,” the guard said. “Although, that means he’s had plenty try to kill him, as you saw.”

“I see.” She hadn’t been in the room when the man was killed, but she had caught them dragging the body away. She wished she could say it was the first body she had seen, but the war had found its way even to her small town.

“Rest assured that you are safe here. The royal guard serves King Orion and the people of Lama.”

“The people of Lama,” she repeated. 

The guard left her. She sat down on the bed, thinking. She had never heard a member of the royal guard say that they protected the people. Every one she had met before in her work had referred to Lama as a state, not as a people, as if the two were separate.

 

***

Hours passed and she started to get anxious from waiting.

Curiosity overcame her fear of Orion and his attendant, and she decided to explore the castle. She found it surprisingly sparse. Although Orion and his men dressed regally, and the rooms were well furnished, there were very few expensive fixtures. Nothing was cast in gold, and there were no paintings or urns like she had imagined.

As she turned a corner, she found herself passing under an arch and into courtyard full of beautiful flowers. 

“Lovely, eh?”

She jumped at the sound of the voice, having had no idea that anyone had followed her.

She turned to find the red haired man from before, the one who had protected the king from his attacker. She’d only heard what was going on from outside, but it was clear enough to her that this man had killed someone.

Under the circumstances, his use of lethal force was justified. It still scared her out of her wits to see him standing behind her, though.

“Don’t worry, I like you.”

“Eh?” She took a step back.

“I mean, I doubt you’re some kind of assassin, so I wouldn’t kill you anyway. But, I like you. The way you talked to that guy back there was really cool.”

“That guy?”

“The king.” He laughed. “You really scolded him.”

“Did I?”

Erin turned to the garden and waved his hands wide. “These are his favorite,” he said. “Especially the white ones.”

“They are pretty,” Tsumugi said. There was no way she could relax, even with Erin’s reassurances and his friendly demeanor.

“So, you’re a lawyer is what I read.”

“You found my government papers so quickly?”

“It’s been three hours.”

“But they’re massive files, aren’t they? You must be very efficient.”

Erin laughed at that. “I’m about to take what I found on you to that guy,” he said. “That you’re Eridanus’s daughter, and you’re a law apprentice. Is there anything else I should add?”

“You can tell him I really don’t need to be housed in that room,” she said. “I just want to see my father, that’s all.”

“I’ll let him know.” 

Tsumugi watched him walk away, whistling to himself.

***

It was nearly 3 am when she was summoned.

With little else to do, she had fallen asleep. When the guard came to her room, her hair was a mess and her eyes were puffy.

The guard escorted her to another wing of the castle. This one was much less inviting, as it led to the jail.

In a prison this far away from the public eye, the king could lock up anyone he wanted, and no one from the courts would ever know. It made her anxious to enter. The thought occurred to her that there was nothing stopping the king from locking her away, just like her father.

She sighed, reminding herself that she really wasn’t important enough for him to bother.

King Orion and Erin both were waiting there. The king was flipping through some papers, and looked up when he heard her approach. His eyes were dark and tired. 

“I apologize for bringing you out so late,” he said. He waved for a servant to take his work from his hands and stood to greet her.

She bowed, as she remembered it was necessary to do so at every meeting with a royal, and especially the king himself. “Not at all. Seeing my father is all that I care about.”

“I understand.”

Erin shrugged. “I could take her, you don’t have to be here.”

“I have my word that I would do it personally.”

“Fine.”

The tone in which Erin was permitted to speak to the king shocked her. And Orion walked side by side with him like an equal. 

She followed them into the castle prison. 

The first passage was lined with jail cells. They were crammed full with sketchy looking people who shouted obscenities at them as they entered. Men whistled and cat called at Tsumugi.

“How troublesome,” Orion said, and lifted his cape to shield her from their eyes. “There are even more now than the last time I was here.”

“It’s because we’re capturing more alive,” Erin said. 

Orion was so tall that the cape he held up for her was like a protective curtain against their taunts and jeers. They shouted “murderer” and “traitor” at him. Some spat and threw whatever was lying around.

Although she still feared Orion, and probably more than this rabble, she found herself walking closer to him.

“Your dads not in there though,” Erin said. “Don’t worry about that.”

It made her worry about the alternative.

Thankfully it was a short walk through that room, and then they were walking down a set of stairs.

“King Orion,” she said. “Isn’t it dangerous for you to visit the jail personally?”

“That’s why I have Erin.”

Erin chuckled at that. “Ah, could you smile when you praise me at least? Geez.”

“I see.” Tsumugi wondered how one boy could protect Orion from so many threats. 

“Moreover,” Orion said. “I can’t trust anyone else’s assessment but my own.”

But his guards seems quite devoted to him, or at least the ones she had interacted with were. She wondered if the king was a distrustful person by nature.

It was a bad leader who couldn’t confide in anyone. Even if his judgement was as reliable as he believed it to be, any person would burn out after bearing that strain alone for long enough.

That’s what her father used to say.

On the next floor there were rows of doors with small barred windows in each. She peeked into one as they passed, but couldn’t see who was inside of it. Erin gave her a scary look too, and she decided not to pry any farther.

These prisoners didn’t gather and taunt them as they passed. They were so quiet that Tsumugi wasn’t sure which cells even had inhabitants.

Erin opened one and stepped inside first. Tsumugi assumed he was checking to see if it was safe.

She heard her father’s voice. “Ah, it’s you. Am I being assassinated?”

“Not at all,” Erin laughed. He was not even the least bit offended by the misunderstanding. “There’s someone here to—“

Against her own sense of self-preservation, she pushed past Erin and into the room. “Dad!”

The room her father was held in was small but comfortable enough, with a cot for a bed, and a window to the outside, although it was barred. It wasn’t the dank cell she had imagined.

“Tsumugi?”

She ran in and hugged him, feeling tears forming in her eyes. It had only been three months since she had heard from him by letter, but even before Orion’s revolution, she had not seen him in person in almost a year.

Her father was a tall man, and was a bit skinnier than she when had last seen him, although he didn’t look malnourished. He smiled.

“What are you doing here, dear?”

“I’m so glad you’re safe! When I didn’t hear from you, I thought—“

He held her and pet her head. “I have told you so many times not to worry about me.”

“Erin,” Orion said from outside the room. “Give them some privacy.”

“Aw, but I was enjoying this touching moment!”

Eridanus looked up. “Is that Prince Orion?” He asked. “Or king Orion, I should say.”

Orion hadn’t entered. He was waiting somewhere outside.

Tsumugi wiped the tears from her eyes and nodded. “Yes, he brought me to see you.”

Erin sighed and left the room. The door was open still, but she was sure that any attempt in her father’s part to escape would be met with Erin’s special skills.

Eridanus sat down on his cot and patted Tsumugi’s shoulder. 

“I’m going to get you out of here, Dad,” she said. “Really soon, I promise!”

He chuckled and shook his head. “Tsumugi, it does my heart good to see you. You look more like your mother than ever before.”

“Dad?”

He held her hand and rubbed it between his. “I may not be released soon,” he said. “And to be honest, I’m fortunate to be alive.”

“Why do you say that? You’ve done nothing wrong!”

“It’s not so black and white, Tsumugi.”  
He exhaled a long, tired, sigh. “You know that I love you very much.”

“Of course I do. I love you too, dad.”

“That’s why when the war broke out, I sent you off to a small town where I thought you would be safe.”

Tsumugi had always suspected that was the reason, although he had always told her it was to pursue her education.

“The former king was my dear friend,” he said. “But in recent years, he became troubled. The war broke out, and rather than seeking peaceful solutions, he believed that ruthless force was the only way to bring the nation under our control again. I knew that what he was doing was wrong, and yet to let Lama yield to rebels and fall into anarchy was a worse fate. So, I stayed by his side. I thought that if I could convince him...”

“Dad...”

“That man, the prince. He alone had the courage to stand see what needed to be done, and to do it. I tried to make the king listen to him, but he refused.”

Tsumugi shook her head. “Then there’s no reason for you to be here! You were trying to help him. Why would he do this to you?”

“The prince has a great many enemies,” Eridanus said. “Many of the men who worked alongside me tried to kill him. If not for that boy, Erin, I’m sure he’d have been murdered by now.”

“But you wouldn’t...”

“You know that I wouldn’t. But, I had the means and a motive. That’s why all of us who were in the old King’s inner circle are locked up here,” he said. “But, Orion could have had the whole lot of us executed, and he didn’t.”

“Not legally—“

“Tsumugi, this is a war. Hopefully now, we are seeing the end of it, but the fact remains.”

The door creaked open again. “Sorry to interrupt,” Erin said with a smile. “But I wanted to interject—while I was digging up information on Tsumugi, I also looked into Eridanus. Seems there’s no proof he committed any crimes against King Orion, it’s merely an accusation of conspiracy. I’m sure he’ll be released once everything is processed.”

“Is that true?” Tsumugi reached out and grasped Erin’s hand. “Thank you so much.”

Eridanus chuckled to himself. “So why bring my daughter to such a place at all?” He said. “You wanted to see what I would say to her? Maybe you thought I’d slip and say expose something if I were guilty after all?”

“Maybe,” Erin said. “But it’s more that this guy over here promised her she could see you right away, and he always keeps his word.”

Eridanus chuckled at that. “The Prince is a complex man.”

That was an understatement.

“And with that,” Erin said. “We must take our leave, my lady.”

“Oh.” Tsumugi wished she had more time with her father. She gave him one more hug. “I promise you’ll be free soon.”

“It’s not so bad,” he shrugged. “You take care of yourself, Tsumugi

Tsumugi wiped another tear from her eye as she passed the door. Erin followed after her and locked it behind them.

Eridanus spoke to them from the other side of the jail cell door. “You’re still there, aren’t you, Prince?” 

Tsumugi turned to find Orion at the end of the hallway, still in earshot.

“For what it’s worth, I think you’re a fine son, and you’ll make a good king. Your father will see that someday.”

She heard Erin sigh. Orion said nothing.

***

King Orion was silent as they made their way back.

Tsumugi wondered about what her father had meant. He had done things for the greater good, and maybe they were wrong. That’s why Orion couldn’t trust him. 

But he sounded so resigned. It was like he had let Orion win, let himself become arrested, and was sitting in his cell these last three months in some kind of atonement.

The cat calls and harassing shouts seemed farther away as they walked through the holding area once more.

It wasn’t until they were back in the central hall that Orion spoke again. “Tsumugi,” he said.

“Yes?”

“I would ask you stay here in the castle until we can clear your father’s name and free him,” he said. “I would do so now, but it’s important that I don’t show any favoritism.”

“Favoritism?”

Erin laughed. “We’re trying to root out corruption after all, so we can’t have any rumors that this guy did you a favor because you’re a cute girl.”

Tsumugi stammered and blushed. “B-because I’m what?”

“Damn you,” Orion growled. “I’m too tired to put up with your jokes.”

Tsumugi bowed to both of them. “Thank you so much,” she said. “I would like to repay you, if I can.”

“I...”. Orion trailed off as if he wasn’t certain he should finish his sentence. “I was hoping you might offer.”

“I don’t understand,” she said. “What could I offer you?”

“You’ve been studying law,” he said. “And we need people who are versed in law.”

“You’d want me to advise you?”

“Yes. If you will.”

His face was too stoic, Tsumugi wasn’t sure if he cared much for her answer either way. But he was right that he needed someone. Erin was a shrewd assassin who could protect him from physical harm, but he had no one to protect him in the political battles that he would need to fight.

Of course, Tsumugi would be more interested in making sure that King Orion followed the law, but maybe she could do both.

“I would be happy to do whatever I can to serve the people of Lama,” she said. 

Orion’s brows raised and she could swear he was smiling, but it was gone from his face so fast that she couldn’t be sure it had been there at all.

“Erin, show Tsumugi to her new quarters.”

***

It was an enormous room with a bed, a dresser, and a vanity with a big mirror. There was a couch and a table and chairs. A door opened up to a balcony that overlooked the garden.

Erin smirked. “You said you weren’t happy with the last room, so...”

“I said it was too big! I don’t need anything like this!”

“Hey, if you do become advisor to the king, it would may be part of your job to entertain guests. So come on, just enjoy it.”

Tsumugi took a deep breath. He was right. “Erin, you’re actually very kind.”

Erin winked. “Just don’t do anything to betray our king, and you’ll never have to see my nasty side.”

A line like that might have scared her earlier in the day, but after seeing her father and hearing his story, she somehow understood Erin’s loyalty.

“He’s lucky to have you.”

“Don’t I know it?” Erin laughed and waved as he left. “Good night, my lady!”


	2. Chapter 2

Tsumugi stood helpless as Erin and two servants from the castle brought in her personal items that had been delivered. 

They came so fast. It had only been a few days.

Tsumugi had not seen King Orion again during that time, but Erin, in his strange way, had become a fast friend. He checked in on her several times each day.

“These clothes won’t do,” Erin muttered, as servants brought in her box of clothing and began to hang every item for her.

“Th-that’s not necessary!” she stammered, embarrassed at the thought of the two ladies and Erin seeing her humble robes and tunics hanging from hangers that probably cost more than the clothes that were on them. She kept her things in good condition, and her father was not a poor man, but she had never spent much money on herself. 

“Do you really show up in court like that?” he asked her.

“I do,” she said meekly. “Is it that bad?”

“Lady Tsumugi, don’t make a face like that! You’re a beautiful woman, that much isn’t in question.”

She clapped a hand against her cheek. This all was very embarrassing.

“But that isn’t the issue. I don’t know much about law, but I do know that how you look is a factor against any opponent.”

“Now that you say so,” she said, “You, King Orion, the royal guardsmen, and even the servants in the castle all dress in a way that seems intimidating.”

“And you will too,” he said. “Don’t go anywhere today, okay?”

“I haven’t anywhere to go unless the king calls for me.”

“It won’t take too long.”

***

Amongst her things she little other than a stack of books and a few keepsakes. She had never been someone who liked to surround herself with physical things. She thought her money would be better spent investing in the future, so she kept most of it in funds.

There was a small rabbit figurine her father had given her as a child. It was made of a pretty stone, and she was told that it was quite valuable.

Aside from that, her other prized possession was a picture of her mother. She wondered if her father was right to say that she looked more like her these days. The woman in the picture had a kind smile.

There were also functional things like a clock, pots and pans, and writing utensils. She doubted she’d be at a loss of any of these in the castle, although it was still nice to have these specific ones, if only because they were hers.

There was a knock at the door. A woman was there with a box of dressmaking tools.

“Lord Erin has requested your measurements,” she said.

“Ah, may I ask what for?”

She chucked. “To make you a dress. Come on, stand here.”

Tsumugi followed her instructions and stood on a step stool while the lady measured her. “Does Lord Erin concern himself with these things often?”

“Lord Erin used to be the feared assassin who protected the king,” the woman said as she wrapped the tape measure around Tsumugi’s waist. “And he still is, but now he handles just about anything the king needs.”

“I don’t need to take so much attention from such a busy person,” she said. “He should focus on security!”

The seamstress laughed. “I think he’s amused by such a hotheaded girl.”

“Hotheaded?”

“Yeah, they said you gave King Orion a tongue lashing right in front of the court!”

“I-I didn’t do that!”

***

Orion had wisely given himself a break from audiences that day. There was enough paperwork to look over alone in his office. He had never thought that it would come as such a reprieve.

Erin let himself in, even though he was sure he’d locked the door. “I have some designs,” he said. 

He pushed a bunch of drawings on a clip board on top of the very important paperwork Orion was trying to finish.

There were women’s figures dressed in various black and gold garments. “What is this, fashion design?”

“We don’t have a template for a lady’s wardrobe,” he said. “So I sketched out a few ideas.”

Orion pushed the clipboard away. “If you have so much time, do something useful, please. Don’t bother me with something like this.”

“Well, if you don’t want any input, then okay.”

***

Tsumugi was quite frustrated when the dressmaker came to her room again, along with three more ladies this time.

“We found a gown in your size,” she said. “Perfect for your dinner tonight!”

“What dinner?”

“Dining with the court, aren’t you?” She said. “That’s what I was told, anyway.”

“No one told me about this!”

“Well, I’m under orders to dress you either way, so come on, look alive.”

They fit her into a gown made from black silk. The neckline was lower than anything she had ever worn before, and they fastened a big emerald necklace around her neck as if to call even more attention to it.

They put her hair up into a bun and curled the loose ends so that they fell around her face. She was given drop earrings to match the necklace.

She wasn’t new to makeup in general, but the deep red color they painted on her lips was much more severe than what she was used to.

The worst part of all, however, was a pair of high heel shoes. She had never owned a pair and didn’t understand how to walk in them.

The dressing ladies attempted to give her tips on how to do it, but in the end they had to settle for assuring her that she’d be seated for most of the time.

***

Orion hated greeting the court. Even if it was only for dinner, half these people had no respect for him and the other half just wanted to kiss his ass.

He was looking forward to the night for only one reason, and that was because Tsumugi would be there, and he could begin introducing her to the extended problem which was dealing with all of these politicians and dignitaries.  
L

He sat at the head of the table. The seat at his right side was reserved for Erin as always, and for the first time his left would also be held for an ally.

Although he wondered if he could even call Tsumugi an ally at this juncture. She was more like a neutral party. Better than nothing.

He knew it was cruel of him, but he hadn’t given her much warning. He wanted to see how she’d fare when thrown into this mess.

The faces he recognized began to filter in and greet him with fake smiles and dull handshakes. He went through the motions of regarding them all. He wasn’t concerned about changing the impression people had of him that he was stoic and unapproachable.

When Erin entered, he almost didn’t recognize the woman on his arm. His attention was taken completely from whichever brown nosing politician was talking to him when he saw Tsumugi.

He wasn’t the only one, either. There were plenty of men in the room who had their eyes glued to her. He hated to count himself among them, but he couldn’t look away.

Tsumugi was holding tight to Erin’s arm. She smiled and greeted the men who had gathered up the nerve to introduce themselves.

Orion cleared his throat loudly. The crowd parted and let Tsumugi through.

As she and Erin reached him, she bowed and they took their seats to either side.

Orion glared at Erin. This was most certainly his idea. “Why is she dressed like that?”

Erin grinned. “Well, someone left the wardrobe choices in my hands.”

He felt his cheeks heating up as he attempted to look at her one more time. He quickly looked back at Erin. “She should be dressed no differently from you,” he said through grit teeth.

“I’m so sorry,” Tsumugi said, bowing her head. “I shouldn’t have dressed so inappropriately.”

“Now you’re making her feel bad,” Erin said in a teasing tone.

He wished he could wring Erin’s neck for this. “You bastard, when this is done I’ll—“

The representative from a neighboring province interrupted them. “Please introduce us to your new aide, my king.”

Orion took a deep breath. “This is Lady Tsumugi,” he said. “Henceforth, she will be my legal advisor.”

The servers began to bring out food and wine while the attendees murmured about his announcement.

“Tsumugi,” he said, softly so that no one else would hear. “Who is here who you know?”

“I’ve never met any of them,” she said. “But I can recognize most of them from their pictures in the state logs.”

Orion nodded. She was already more familiar with them than he or Erin had been when they started, if that was the case.

One of the older men raised his voice to speak across the table. “Lady Tsumugi,” he said between bites of a turkey leg. “Seeing as how you are the king’s legal counselor, I am wondering what you think of his latest tax hike.”

Erin opened his mouth to say something. They were both aware that this particular representative was opposed to most of Orion’s motions and the best way of handling him was to shut him down fast. Orion lifted his hand to motion him to stop.

He wanted to see what Tsumugi would say.

It was like a switch flipped and Tsumugi was suddenly that same woman who had stepped over freshly spilled blood to speak her case to him. “I would not call it a tax hike as much as an emergency financial measure,” she said. “Sir Shelton, your constituents may be unhappy that they are being directly taxed, but I suspect they would like it even less if funding were cut to the national guard that stabilizes the adjacent regions.”

Erin gave Orion an incredulous look, as if he couldn’t believe it. 

Maybe Erin had been considering this a game. Erin had perhaps gone along with all of this because Tsumugi was, in his words at least, “a cute girl.” Because it was amusing to have her around, and because it might annoy him.

Orion was not joking when he appointed her.

***

Tsumugi kept up a brave face for the rest of the dinner, even though she was shaking on the inside. Every person at this table was a government leader or the aide of one. 

King Orion wasn’t helping much at all. He rarely said anything. She supposed it was her job to speak on these matters for him, but she didn’t know him well enough yet. He’d only come into the public eye a few months ago when he ended the civil war with his uprising. 

He wasn’t exact popular, but people would take him over his father or grandfather.

Her own personal politics wouldn’t be too popular here, either. She decided to stick to a neutral point of view, and answer questions based on her knowledge of the law.

“Now now,” said a woman at the table. “You all are acting as if this is a political debate. Let the lady have her dinner, would you?”

She was one of the only women at the table. A tall woman and of ambiguous age, she was almost as intimidating as King Orion himself. Her strawberry colored hair was striking. 

Tsumugi recognized her as Artemis of the Bison district. Her district was one of the many who had been hit hard by the war.

A forced laugh went around as the others conceded and stopped barraging Tsumugi with questions.

***

After the dinner was over and the various attendees had gone their own ways, Tsumugi felt a tap on her shoulder.

“Where did you find this one, Orion?” It was Artemis again, standing behind her.

“You’ll refer to her as Lady Tsumugi,” he said. 

“Oh, of course.” She flicked a piece of Tsumugi’s hair. “I like you. Giving all these old men some hell.”

“I’m only trying to clarify the law,”  
Tsumugi said. She was exhausted from all of it, and her bravado had begun to wane.

“Take care of Orion,” she said, before excusing herself. “He’s important to me.”

Orion waited for her to leave before he spoke. “That woman used to be a friend of my father’s,” he said. “That in itself is enough to distrust her.”

“She is very well liked in her district,” Tsumugi said. “Her measures to improve economic stability have been quite successful.”

“Doesn’t mean she won’t stab you in the back,” Erin said. He winked. “But don’t worry. That’s what I’m here for.”

Tsumugi wasn’t sure how safe she felt, even with that reassurance.

King Orion stood. “Tsumugi,” he said. “Please join me. I’d like to speak to you.”

Tsumugi dreaded standing again. Her heels were such a nightmare. 

“I suppose I’ll go patrol,” Erin said, which meant that Tsumugi would have no one to help her balance.

She caught Orion glaring at Erin again, as if he’d done something wrong. He was so angry, his face had been flushed red for most of the dinner.

Determined not to fall over, she stood up. Orion led her out of the dining room and down the hall, Eventually she recognized the hallway that led to the courtyard where she had met Erin.

“I apologize again for my clothes,” she said, as he paused for her to catch up.

“It’s Erin’s fault,” he said. 

“Still, it’s because I had no proper clothes to begin with.”

They continued walking. “In that case, I will give you a stipend for clothing. You need clothes to wear.”

“Ah, I own clothes! I have money, too. That’s not what I meant.” He was still so intimidating to her with his towering height and his steel grey eyes that she found herself floundering for words. “My clothes are simply not regal enough for an event like this.”

Orion stepped across a stone path through the courtyard. Tsumugi’s shoe caught in between the cracks and she went tumbling over with a shout.

She found herself clutching Orion’s arm that had been outstretched for her. With his warriors instincts, he must have sensed her falling before she even knew what was happening.

He frowned. “I would prefer if you worked in something functional.”

She swallowed hard and righted herself before letting go of his arm. “Of course.”

The courtyard at night was beautiful with all of its greenery and flowers. She could hear the babbling of a stream that fed through it, and the air was fragrant with the smell of camellias.

It did little to relax her as Orion stood there. He had scarcely met eyes with her all night.

“What do you think the goal of this government should be?” He asked her.

She hadn’t been expecting such a direct question, but it was something she knew right away. “To protect the rights of the people of Lama,” she said. She didn’t have to think about that. “They have a right to safety, free will, and happiness.”

“The thought that guided me through this rebellion,” Orion said, “is that I want my people to smile again.”

“That’s a much prettier way of putting it,” she said. She hadn’t expected such a flowery sentiment from the king.

“It was Erin who gave me the words.”

“Ah.” She laughed before she could stop herself. Erin could be sweet, too. “This is merely how the law defines it, but it’s pretty much the same idea.”

Orion took a deep breath, as if he was smelling the flowers in the air. “This war has robbed our people of each of those things.”

“I agree with that, at least.”

“But, you don’t approve of my methods of ending the war?”

“It’s difficult to approve of them when nobody knows exactly what they were.”

“My father and my grandfather were both assassinated. I have, in my employ, an assassin.”

Tsumugi sighed. “It seems obvious, but there’s no evidence. No rebel or foreign party claimed the attack, either.”

He turned and looked at her. His expression for once was more than blank. She had shocked him with her knowledge of the case. She wondered if there was a little bit of fear there, that she had struck too close to home.

“Ah!” She took a step back away from him and nearly fell over again.

Orion laughed, or at least the sound he made was close enough to a laugh to break the tension that had built up. “Take off those shoes if they bother you so much,” he said. “You won’t offend me.”

“Ah, okay, if you say so...”

She took off the shoes and stood barefoot. Without the extra inches, Orion seemed even taller. 

He returned his gaze to the night sky and the flowers in the garden. “The war started when I was fourteen,” he said. His tone was grim once again, but now there was something fragile about it. “By sixteen, I was already fighting.”

“I was just a child too,” Tsumugi said. “It seems almost like it’s always been this way.”

“I have killed,” Orion said. “Before I was even old enough to know what I was doing, I had taken more lives than I can remember.”

Tsumugi knew that Orion was quite young, standing now at age twenty-one, only a few years older than herself. She had not considered how young that would have made him as a soldier years ago when the war started.

“So it isn’t that I’m innocent,” he said. “But...”

He paused as if he wasn’t sure he should share this last part. She waited, holding her breath, wondering if he would.

“If I was going to kill my father I wouldn’t have sent Erin,” he said. His fists clenched and his words had a rushed sort of anger to them like they weren’t what he had been about to say. “I would have killed the bastard with my own two hands.”

It took Tsumugi a moment to look past his frightening tone to what he was saying. He hadn’t killed his father to take the throne. Maybe he had wanted to, but he didn’t.

When her father had spoken of the last king in the present tense, she assumed that he simply wasn’t aware of his death. He had been in prison the entire time, after all. But, it could have been something more than that.

“It’s late,” Orion said. “You did well tonight. Join me again tomorrow, but wear a pair of shoes you can walk in.”

With that, he hurried off with the emerald green lining of his cape flickering behind him.

Tsumugi found herself alone in the garden.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In case you didn’t catch it Artemis = Anesagi


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So the funny story is that my apartment has no internet whatsoever. I’ve been getting so bored that I wrote a lot of chapters of a lot of different things and I’m going to be shotgun uploading them from Starbucks (lol)

The next day started differently than her mornings had up until that point. She had to admit that she had been getting used to lazy mornings, since Orion had not called for her at all until the dinner of last night.

It shocked her a bit when Erin roused her from her bed at dawn.

“Your new clothes are here!” He said, having entered her room without permission, in spite of it being locked. “You’d better put them on quick if you don’t want to be late for breakfast!”

She sat up and rubbed the sleep from her eyes with a yawn. “Breakfast?”

He chuckled as he opened her curtains, letting sunlight in. “Yep. You must have impressed him last night. He told me he wants you at his side from now on.”

As that message settled into her brain, she shot out of bed, wide awake. “By his side?”

“His exact words,” Erin said, still laughing to himself. “If you ask me, I think he likes using you as a smokescreen. He barely had to talk at all last night.”

She sighed. “At least I’m of some service.”

“I’ll leave you to it,” he said, and showed himself to the door. “I liked your gown better, but this will do.”

He left the room and shut the door behind him. 

Tsumugi inspected the clothes he had left hanging for her. There was a short green dress with a high neck, black leggings, and boots like Erin’s. He had also left her an insignia to be worn on a bolero around her neck, and a leather belt with gold beads dangling from it.

She dressed herself and found her way to the dining hall quickly as she could. Half way there, Erin’s voice called to her. “Not the main hall, Tsumugi!”

He waved from the hall to the West. She turned and walked as quickly as she could without running.

“Ha Ha, I forgot you need more directions!”

She joined him and followed him the rest of the way.

“Orion takes breakfast in his personal chambers because he hates being accosted by politicians first thing in the morning.”

“Ah!” That meant they were going to the royal chambers? Anxiety rushed over her at the thought.

It wasn’t far from Tsumugi’s room. She wondered if Orion had moved her to that particular room to make it that much easier for Erin to fetch her when she was needed.

“Good morning, king!” Erin called out as he opened a heavy door. 

Orion’s personal chambers were as vast as she had expected, but not nearly as lavish as one would expect of a king. The foyer had nothing in it, nowhere for visitors to sit. 

Erin led her through an open door to her right which led into a study. There was a wall of books and a table made from a fine lacquered wood, adorned only by a mess of paperwork and a cup of coffee sitting in front of the king.

She bowed.

“Sit down,” he said. He was no more personable in the morning as he was at night, it seemed. “Ask Tsumugi What she wants for breakfast.”

Erin shrugged. “She’s right here, if you’d look up.”

His eyes rose from the table. “You seem more comfortable today.”

She was moving with much more ease in this outfit than she had at dinner. “Yes, thank you.”

“What do you want for breakfast, Tsumugi?” Erin asked.

“I don’t want to be any trouble, so anything is fine.”

Erin clapped and raised his voice for the nearest servant to hear. “Bring us a little of everything!”

“I said anything, not everything!”

Orion sighed and put his work down. “Do you take coffee?”

Tsumugi nodded, unable to find her voice.

“Then,” he said to the servant, “please bring us coffee with cream and sugar, a crumb cake, and strawberries.”

He tapped the seat beside him, the left side, just like last night. Tsumugi sat. 

“So here are all the immediate tasks I need to do,” he said, shoving a stack of papers over to her. “Your first job is to look through those and decide what I’ll do today.”

She began thumbing through the papers and each seemed just as important as the next. “Inspect waterworks,” she read aloud. “My king, you should really delegate this to someone more qualified.”

“Then your next job will be to find such a person.”

“But, isn’t there a whole committee for that?”

Erin chuckled. “Yeah, we kinda threw them in jail for corruption,” he said. “Apparently they were demanding ‘convenience fees’ from small land owners in order to keep clean water flowing.”

“That’s just...” she groaned. “Who else of importance have you had arrested on suspicion of corruption?”

Erin began to rattle off names. “The food inspector, the head of physicians, most of the department of transport—“

“Well then,” Tsumugi said. “I need a list of all these positions that need to be filled, we’ll take applicants, and I’ll vet each one personally.”

Orion frowned. “If I don’t know them, I don’t trust them.”

The servant returned. As soon as the coffee reached the table, Tsumugi took a huge drink of before even adding any cream. “You can’t run this government alone,” she said. “That’s why everything is at a standstill.”

“Then you do that, and I’ll take more audiences.”

Tsumugi studied his face. At age 21, his eyes were already lined with dark circles and he had creases across his forehead.

“No, I can’t advise that either,” she said. She took the stack of papers in still front of him and pushed the entire thing to her side of the able. Then, while he was reeling at the nerve of her, she took the pen out of his hand and set it aside.

She put on her sternest face and waited a moment to make sure he didn’t throw her in the dungeon for this.

Erin sat back and watched without weighing in, although wearing a huge grin on his face.

“The petitioners are only going to be angry and upset, and you’re in no position to meet their demands just yet in any case.”

Orion grit his teeth. “Then what do you suggest?”

“You, my king—“ She stammered, her voice getting louder than she meant out of anxiety. “You need to sit and do nothing!”

“ _What?_ ”

Erin laughed boisterously and slapped the table. “She means take a break!”

“That isn’t an option.”

“King Orion,” she said, trying to level her tone out. “The human mind needs peace sometimes. If you deprive yourself of sleep and spend every day listening to angry voices, you’ll have a breakdown at a crucial moment.”

“I’ve been trying to get this guy to take a vacation for months,” Erin said. “I don’t think he’s ever had a day off.”

“What if you go with Erin to the city?” Tsumugi smiled as she got what she thought was a good idea. “King Orion, you should go to the square and see the children playing and people smiling!”

“I second that,” Erin said.

Orion was still frowning. “I didn’t hire her so that the two of you could outvote me. I’m still the king here.”

“I’ll work really hard while you’re gone,” she said. “I promise I’ll have everything ready to move as soon as you get back.”

Orion took a long sip of his coffee before he answered. “I’ll go out with Erin,” he said. “But only until sunset. Then I expect a briefing on your progress.”

“Of course!”

Erin shrugged. “What a soft spot for girls this king has,” he said. “He’d never have listened to me!”

That made Tsumugi swell with pride. Even if was over a small thing, it seemed monumental getting Orion to listen.

***

Orion dressed plainly, hoping that he would attract less attention. 

“Are there really children playing and people smiling?” he asked Erin, as they walked into the town square.

“That just shows that she was right,” he said. “You haven’t even seen what the people are like recently.”

As he looked around, he saw people moving from vendor to vendor while children were allowed to play in the street. “Don’t go too far,” a mother said to her child. “I don’t want you out of my sight.”

“Cautious, but still...” Orion felt an unusual lightness in his chest. He took a breath of the fresh air. “I haven’t seen children in the square like this since I was a boy.”

“You made this to happen,” Erin said. He was smiling, and not in the usual annoying way. His expression was bright and fond. “This is all possible because of what you’ve done.”

“It was mostly you,” Orion sighed. “Come on, don’t give me so much credit.”

Erin shrugged. “Hey, there’s the flower shop I told you about.”

Orion couldn’t believe that a shop selling flowers had set up in the capital city of Lama. It seemed like only months ago this place was under martial law.

But there is was, full of beautiful things that grew. 

Orion stepped inside after Erin, lowering his head to avoid a hanging pot. 

Erin turned to him and held up some pink daisies. “Do you think Tsumugi would like this?”

“You seem to like her,” Orion said. 

Erin narrowed his eyes, giving him a cat-like grin. “I thought maybe you could give them to her.”

Orion snickered. “I wouldn’t give her a boring little daisy.”

“Oh?” That only made Erin even more curious and meddlesome. “Would you pick out something more exotic?”

“No, not quite.” He muddled it over. “You see, you should give a woman a flower to compliment her.”

“Like you’d know anything about women.”

“I know about flowers.”

Erin rolled his shoulders and groaned. “Right. So, which one?”

“A white lily,” he said. “Elegant and feminine.”

“The daisy is more resilient,” Erin said. “Lilies are fragile.”

Orion had already moved on to the next section and was looking at potted plants. “I’d like to give her something alive, not a cut flower. Maybe something for her room?”

Erin laughed at him again. “This side of you is a lot more fun.”

***

Orion had lent Tsumugi his study for the day. It was more secure than his offices and he assured her that she wouldn’t be bothered here.

Tsumugi spent the day going through the records of government officers and contacting the ones who she couldn’t find any illegal reports on. If anything, the rampant corruption of Orion’s predecessors had brought the worst people out of hiding, and they were easier to spot.

Even amongst these candidates, she doubted that all of them were clean, and some of the people she had selected weren’t even trained in the industry she assigned them to—she just needed to fill those gaps somehow. And some of them would probably decline and she’d have to scrape together even more people. It would take months of constant shuffling around before the government was stable again.

She could see why a man like Orion might think taking everything upon himself was a better path.

When she looked up, the sun was setting. It seemed like she’d hardly taken a breath and the entire day had passed.

King Orion returned, and he was wearing such a casual outfit—just a pair of brown slacks and a blue silk shirt. She almost mistook him for an intruder.

“My king!” She stood and bowed. 

“Tsumugi,” he said. His voice was strangely soft.

“Where has Erin gone?”

“He’s making his rounds,” Orion said. “You promised me a report, so I came straight back.”

“Of course!” Tsumugi straightened up and began to sum up her work as if reporting a military plan. “I completed the list of officials, and had notes written to send out immediately. You can approve them now, if you wish.”

He picked up a pad with the template letter and scanned it before looking up at her again. “This is a fine start. You can continue tomorrow.”

She blinked wide eyes at him. Was it really the same man from this morning?

“You were right about today.”

He turned his eyes elsewhere, which made it slightly easier for her to think. “So you had a nice visit to the city?” 

“Yes, and I intend to rest until morning.”

She heaved a sigh of relief. “Oh, thank goodness.”

“Did you think I’d be angry?”

She looked up at him. “I don’t know what to think,” she said. “You are hard to read.” 

He made a disgruntled face and she began to backpedal.

“I-I mean, not that it isn’t a good quality of a ruler, of course!”

“Tsumugi,” he said. His face was blank as ever. “I don’t need any brown-noser here. The best advice you have given me so far has been when you were arguing with me. So, don’t be afraid to do that.”

“Ah, of course, your highness.”

“And that, too.” He sighed. “You don’t need to bow every time you see me, and when it’s just us out of sight of everyone, it’s all right to call me Orion.”

Tsumugi smiled weakly. “Erin calls you ‘my king’ doesn’t he?”

He frowned and folded his arms. “That’s because if I let him do whatever he pleases, he’ll refer to me as ‘hey, you’ or ‘that guy.’”

Tsumugi brought a hand up to her lips to stop herself from laughing. “I’ll be more respectful than Erin,” she said. “But I’ll try to remember that.”

“Since that’s settled, you’re dismissed for the evening.”

“Are you certain? I’m well rested, I can work longer hours than this.”

“I’d like to keep it that way,” he said. 

“Then I will take my leave, my king—“. She was already half way into a bow before she stopped herself. “I mean, Orion.”

***

When she returned to her room, she found a delivery had been made. There was a box planter in her window, and it was brimming over with flowering plants.


	5. Father

Once she had been given the reigns to appoint government officials, it felt like the days were flying past.

“Tsumugi, what are you doing?” 

Erin met her in the hall on the way to her usual breakfast with the king. “I’m going to work as usual?”

“The king says you can have today off,” Erin said. “Or did you actually forget?”

“Forget what—“ she slapped her hands over her mouth. “Daddy’s being released today!”

Erin laughed. “It’s cute when you call your father daddy like that. You’re still a girl after all, huh?”

Tsumugi couldn’t process teasing at the moment. “I’m such a bad daughter, I forgot all about it!”

“You’ve just been busy, that’s all.”

“I have to go right away!”

“Not so fast.” Erin caught up with her as she turned and took her by the hand. “Your old man said he wants to get cleaned up before he sees you again. What a proud guy. First thing he asked for was a shave and a haircut.”

“He told you that?”

“Yeah, so come with me to the banquet hall. My king told me to treat you guys to a fabulous breakfast.”

“I see.” She smiled at the thought of meeting her father well dressed and healthy. “But Orion isn’t coming?”

“What, are you going to miss eating with the king?”

“Ah! Well, I—“ she wasn’t sure why that should embarrass her, but Erin had such a way of teasing with everything that he said that she felt she she come up with a reason. “I’m concerned he’ll overwork himself if I leave him alone.”

He winked. “Don’t worry, I’ll keep an eye on him. Go and have fun with your papa today.”

“In that case, thank you, Erin!”

Erin smiled. If she didn’t know any better, she might have thought he was being bashful. “You sure are cute when you’re happy.”

***

“Ah, there you are!”

Her father was standing in the dining hall wearing a clean robe, his hair freshly trimmed. She ran across the space to hug him.

He grunted as her body hit him. “Ah, Tsumugi, you could kill a man!”

She didn’t let go. “I’m sorry, I’ve missed you so much.”

“You’re an aide to the king now,” he said. She finally allowed him to pry her away, at least far enough that he could look at her. “Look at you wearing the king’s colors, you’re a force to be reckoned with.”

“That’s hardly true,” she said. “Erin had to pick my clothes, to be honest...”

“Well let’s sit down and eat. I’m starving, and this will be my first meal out of prison.”

They sat and were served, as Erin put it, a fabulous breakfast. Eggs Benedict, summer sausage, and fruit fresh from the vine with sweet creme. There were pastries and crepes, enough for ten people.

“Does King Orion always feed you this well?”

“He would if I’d accept it,” she sighed. “But I could never eat so much food. Usually we have coffee and crumb cake in the study.”

“You and him alone?”

“Not at all, Erin is also there every morning!”

He laughed. “Forgive me if I’m a little protective of my lovely young daughter. I have no idea what kind of man that prince has grown into.”

As if Orion would ever think of her that way. He barely acknowledged her presence most times. The only time she could ever remember being alone with the king was that night when he had returned from town in casual dress. Even then, he dismissed her right away.

“So, we need to discuss what I’m going to do,” he said.

“What do you mean?”

“Well I can’t live here in the castle with you.”

“Why wouldn’t you?”

He chuckled softly to himself. “You’re a growing woman Tsumugi, it would be strange for you to share a room with your old father.”

“King Orion would give you a room.”

“I’m sure he would if you were the one to ask him. He seems quite impressed with you, and for good reason. I’m sure he’d do anything you asked. I mean, the man owes me no favors and yet look at this feast he’s arranged.”

“You don’t want me to ask him.” She sighed. “Erin was right, you’re too proud.”

“That boy is as astute as he is mysterious,” he said. “I’m not certain if I am relieved or worried to have a young man like that around my daughter.”

“Erin’s very loyal,” she said. “And he’s more kind than he seems.”

Finally unable to eat another bite, her father pushed himself away from the table and wiped his mouth. “The three of you working together reminds me of a time when the former king and I were young.” He laughed softly. “This new world is meant for you young people. I have no business here.”

“Daddy...”

“I’ll stay close. Maybe I’ll buy a place in the city. Who knows, I could even open a shop or take up a trade.”

As much as it pained her to see her father removed from his position, the idea of him doing something fun with his life made her smile.

“I’ll be close by in case you need me. We’ll never be so far apart again. I promise.”

“Daddy, uh...” asking about this almost felt as if she was betraying Orion somehow, but she had to know. “Back in the prison you told the king... you said his father loves him.”

“It’s like I said then.” His voice became distant. “The old king was a good man, once.”

“But, didn’t you know? Both the king and his father were assassinated, only Orion survived.”

“Yes, well of course I meant, from heaven. I’m sure in the afterlife that his father will see him, and look down with pride.”

That didn’t sound like what he meant at all.

“Now. Since you have today off, please show me around town. I hear King Orion has made some impressive changes under your advisement.”

***

Later that night, Tsumugi bid farewell to her father and returned to the castle.

As she approached her room, she found someone waiting for her. 

Although dressed again in simple clothing, King Orion was still as menacing as ever with his imposing height and his intense glare.

She ran to where he was waiting close to her door. “Ah! King Orion! Did you need me?” 

“I wanted to know if you’d returned.”

“I just got back.” She bowed her head and then looked up with a smile. “Thank you for giving me the day off.”

“You’ve been patient waiting for his release, so that is the least I could do.”

And yet, he was still standing in the hallway and didn’t seem satisfied just to see her return. “So, what do you need?”

He seemed confused by the question.

She asked again. “You wanted to see if I was home yet, but for what reason?”

“I heard you father is going to live in the city,” he said. “That’s unnecessary, I could—“

She shook her head. “He doesn’t want to accept any special treatment from you.”

“I see. Then...”. He started to look down the hall, and at the door, and at anything that wasn’t making eye contact with her. “Do you want to live in the city with him?”

“If I did that, I wouldn’t be able to have breakfast with you every day.”

“Seems a lot to ask just for coffee and crumb cake.”

“It isn’t just that.” She sighed. “Our morning meetings are important for setting the course of the day. Some days I wouldn’t even get to talk to you if it wasn’t for our breakfasts.”

“Of course. That’s why I wanted to know if you planned on moving.”

If this was about breakfast then he was being pretty indirect about it. She almost had to laugh. “I don’t intend to move anywhere for my fathers’ sake,” she said.

“Then, you’ll be there tomorrow?”

“Of course I will.” 

He smiled at that. She had seen him smile a little here or there when something pleased him, but never once as brightly as that. When Orion smiled, it was so sincere and bright, but at the same time there was something innocent about it, fragile even. 

“I’m glad to hear it,” he said. “Since you were gone today I organized all of the files into a new index and I can’t wait to show it to you.”

She laughed. “I’m sure that can  
wait until tomorrow.”

“Ah, right, it can.” He smiled again, awkward this time, blushing a little. “Have a good night.”

“Good night, Orion.”

***

“You’re an _idiot_.” Erin punched him in the back, having appeared seemingly from nowhere soon as he turned a corner.

He grunted, but took the hit. “Is no conversation private to you?”

“Do you even call that a conversation? Like you aren’t just awkwardly bumbling around and sometimes saying words?”

“Look, she isn’t going away and that’s all I needed to know.”

He made a tortured, strangled noise that started deep in his chest as a groan and worked its way out. “But maybe _she_ would like to know that you were worried she might leave.”

He stopped and considered that. “Would she?”

“Yes, you can’t just expect people to know that they’re valuable,” he groaned. “You have to tell them!”

“But I praise her work often enough.”

“I can’t believe you.”

“What?” 

“I’m an assassin and I’ve got more empathy than you.”

Orion felt that in this situation too, maybe Erin was saying something that he didn’t mean. Or at least, something else was going unsaid.

“I need you too, Erin.”

He must have said something right, because Erin smiled brightly and laughed at him. “Of course you do. What would you do without me?”

“Sleep soundly at night for one thing.”


	6. Flower

Tsumugi went to Orion’s study as usual. After the strange visit from Orion last night, she felt that these breakfasts must mean a lot to him, too.

When she saw him sitting at the table, she had hoped he would be dressed comfortably as he had been that night, but he was in his full black and gold regalia as usual. 

In the back of her mind a silly idea was running around that if only more people could see him like that, in those earthy blues and browns that brought out the warmth in his eyes, then his reputation and public approval would surely go on the rise.

But Orion hated pictures of himself in general, there wasn’t a single painting of him in the entire castle. He wasn’t going to pose for a portrait, let alone a casual one.

“Tsumugi,” Erin snickered. “Are you day dreaming? Don’t slack off now just because your papa is out.”

“Let her be,” Orion said. “She hasn’t had her coffee yet.”

The servant brought the cup and she was grateful for that excuse. She stirred some sugar and cream into it and had a good drink.

Erin laughed again. “I was only kidding, there’s no reason to be so defensive.”

“I’m not.”

Erin looked at her and winked. She wasn’t sure what it was supposed to mean.

Orion finished piling up a stack of papers and pushed it over to her. “Agendas,” he said. “Prioritize them for me.”

She looked through them. “Battleship demonstration,” she mumbled. “That’s the last thing we need.” That paper went into a separate stack. “Food drive? That seems important.” That one went into the good pile.

“What’s this?” She came across a paper that seemed to be written with Orion’s own handwriting. “Proposal for public works expansion... a new park?”

Orion slammed his cup down and snatched the paper from her hands. “Ignore that! That isn’t supposed to be in there!”

“It’s not?”

“No, I don’t know how that item got into this stack.”

Erin laughed. “However could such a thing have happened? I wonder. Maybe my king shouldn’t leave such sensitive documents lying out in plain sight.”

Orion turned around to snap at him. “You bastard, I’ll—“

Tsumugi took the paper back from him gently. She looked over it. “But this seems like a good idea,” she said. “A park in the old factory sector that burned down last year? The land has been abandoned since then, the buildings are derelict.”

“I was just toying with it in my spare time,” Orion said. His face was flushed red. “It’s not a priority.”

“But public land would be useful for a lot of things.”

“Yeah.” Erin smirked. “Think of all the flowers we would be able to plant there.”

Orion grumbled and ran a hand through his hair. “We need to make sure people have food to eat before we go giving them flowers and places to play.”

“But,” Tsumugi said, “if we had a section of public land squared away, we could use that space to divvy out food to those who need it. We could keep it well guarded and lit, and families who have lost their homes could sleep safely there until we find a place for them to live.”

“And?” Erin motioned to her with his hands to keep going.

“Oh! Well, it’s true that plants improve air quality in the city, so there’s no reason not to start growing a few things.”

“There you go!”

Orion glared at Erin again. “Your input on this matter is unnecessary.”

Tsumugi flipped the papers over. “You’ve already made an extensive list of notes,” she said. She looked up at him. “If you were so passionate about it, why wouldn’t you bring this to my attention?”

“I...”. He glanced at Erin for help, who turned the other way and pretended to ignore him. Having cut his own lifeline, he turned back to her. “I didn’t think it was realistic, at least not right now. I just...”

Tsumugi wondered why it was so difficult to say.

“I wanted to look forward to something.”

She smiled. “Of course. It’s the role of a leader to imagine a bright future for their people. Why do you act like you’ve done something wrong?”

“King’s father would have slapped him for an idea like this,” Erin said.

Although delivered in the same mocking tone as usual, there was a bite to his words that cut into Orion and left him seething.

“Erin, I need you to leave this room, now.”

Erin pushed his chair away as he got to his feet. “Seeing as how my input isn’t needed anyway, I’ll go.”

Tsumugi felt helpless to do anything as she watched Erin leave. She didn’t understand enough about what was going on, only that the two of them were equally hurt. It showed on their faces. 

The door closed behind Erin. She sighed.

“Why does he always have to push me one step too far?”

Orion’s body was still tense, but not in anger. She had only seen Orion really smile that once, and she thought for a moment today that she might see him cry.

He composed himself before that. He cleared his throat and stood up. “You can use the study today,” he said, and pulled the park paperwork out of her stack. “Ignore this.”

She wanted to argue, but it wasn’t the time. “Yes, I’ll move on. The newly installed waterworks inspector has petitioned us to replace several lines.”

“Look at it and make sure he’s not skimming funds out first, and grant his request it if it looks useful.”

“Of course.”

He started to leave. She felt she had to say something.

“Orion?”

He looked back. The sound of his name said informally from her voice seemed to reassure him, at least a little.

“Erin really cares about you,” she said. 

He huffed half a laugh that was too heavy with sarcasm to come out true. “I know.”

***

After reviewing the water board’s request, she took a break. She hoped she’d be able to find Erin.

He was standing in the place where she figured he’d be. The garden in the courtyard.

“Erin?”

“Tsumugi,” he chuckled, shaking his head in dismay as he turned toward her. “You know I’ve been waiting here for a while, and you’re not the person I hoped would come to find me.”

The breeze was stronger than usual today. She pushed a piece of her hair behind her ear. 

“Are you still angry with him?”

“I wasn’t really in the first place,” he said with a sigh. “I knew what I was saying was going to get me thrown out, so I can’t really blame him for doing it.”

“He wasn’t angry either,” she said. “It seemed more like he was ashamed.”

“Because what I said is true.” Erin lifted his hand to cup one of the delicate flowers that hung low from the branch of a tree. “That guy’s old man stomped almost every last ounce of beauty of him. When we met, I was surprised to find any left.”

He plucked the blossom and brought it to her. It was one of the white ones that he said were Orion’s favorite.

He smiled as he slipped the stem of the flower behind her ear.

“It’s my job to protect that last scrap of what’s good in him,” he said. Then he sighed. “But I’m made for killing things, I’ve never been tasked at helping something grow. I kinda suck at it.”

Tsumugi shook her head and laughed softly. Erin looked up at her and then quickly turned his eyes down again. This time he definitely was being bashful as he scratched the back of his head.

“I’m not a farmer either, but I can tell you,” she said, “the strongest trees are the ones that snap when the wind blows hard.”

“I should be less of a strong wind, that’s what you mean?”

“And, we have to teach our strong tree to bend.”

That got a laugh out of him, laughter that was happy and pure. He wiped a tear from his eye. “That guy? No way. He’s about as flexible as a steel beam.”

“Orion will believe it if he sees it with his own eyes,” she said. “Let’s find supporters for the park, and make it into a reality!”

He smirked. “You are calling him ‘Orion’ now huh?”

“Ah! I meant, my king, of course!”

“Let’s do it, Tsumugi.” He reached his hand out to shake hers. “Let’s make his dream come true.”

She took his hand. “And yours and mine, too.”


	7. Secrets

Tsumugi had breakfast with her father that morning. This time, they met in the common room of the inn where he had been staying while looking for a place to live.

“A park,” he mused, after her story. “I do like the idea, although King Orion may be correct to say it is impossible.”

“It isn’t impossible, the funds exist. His majesty runs his royal forces efficiently, that’s what he’s best at. There is plenty left over from the military budget because it was so inflated to begin with.”

“Even if that’s true, the people of Lama might see it as a frivolous expense.” He sighed. “They’ll see it as a young king throwing money around. Maybe you should have gone with the battleship demonstration after all.”

Tsumugi let her shoulders slump and pouted. “I thought you’d be more on my side.”

“I am. I’m telling you exactly what the people will say, so that you’ll be prepared.”

“I see. So you’re being the devil’s advocate? In that case, I bet if I can convince you, I can win over anyone.”

He took another sip of his coffee and settled into his chair as if he knew they’d be there a long time. “I want to hear your best argument.”

***

Orion found himself alone at his dining table that morning. Tsumugi had the day off, and Erin was still brooding.

He knew that it was his own fault for snapping, but he couldn’t very well apologize if Erin wouldn’t show his face.

He sat in his chair at the head of the table. It had been a while since he’d eaten breakfast completely alone. This used to be his every day.

The servant girl addressed him formally and avoided looking him in the eyes. She bowed and quickly ran off with his order as if she was frightened to be alone with him.

He groaned. “I’m an idiot...” 

Something moved in the corner of his vision. He nearly jumped out of his chair, certain he’d been alone in the room. A bouquet of flowers appeared.

“Yeah, but you’re my idiot.”

Erin revealed himself, smiling, and holding out the flowers to him. White snap dragons. One of his favorites.

Orion sighed, not just in dismay, but to let go of the nerves that spiked when Erin snuck up on him. “You could have killed me.”

“That’s true, but I wasn’t _that_ angry.” He sat down in his usual chair and set the bouquet aside. “So what are we having?”

“You missed the girl, you’ll have to wait until she comes back to order.”

“Or, I could just have half of yours.”

He sighed. “In that case, we will be having a summer quiche.”

***

After breakfast, Erin went into the city to check on Tsumugi. He found her spending the day in town with her father. They were smiling. He didn’t want to interrupt, so he didn’t let them see him. 

Tsumugi was carrying around a pen and a pad of paper and kept making little notes on it. He sighed. Working on her day off? She was more like Orion than either of them could see.

But he’d leave them to it.

Back at the castle, he found Orion in his study. Neither of them had said “I’m sorry,” but Orion had let him eat off his plate that morning, and now the flowers Erin gave him were in a vase on his desk. Good enough.

“I saw Tsumugi,” he said. “Looked like she was having a nice day.”

“She didn’t see you, I assume.”

“Nope.” He sat on the edge of Orion’s desk and began to play idly with a knife. “So, what do you think of her now?”

“It’s only been a few weeks since you last asked me.”

“A lot has changed since then.”

Orion looked at him over the edge of his papers. “She seems capable. What else can I say?”

“Well, I mean...” How could he put this in a way that wouldn’t make Orion furious at him? “You may need to start thinking about women in terms other than their usefulness to the crown, you know?”

“You’re saying that like I don’t value her as a person.”

“No, no, I know you do!” He groaned and rubbed the back of his head. “Look King, I’m just going to say it. You’re young now, but before long, people will be looking for you to get married.”

Orion set his pen down, not gently. It made a heavy thud. “Erin,” he said, taking a deep breath. “I’ll try to measure my words better than yesterday, but if you don’t heed them, you and I are going to be unable to reconcile.”

Erin was impressed he’d even managed to communicate his feelings to this degree. “Sure, go on.”

“Stop meddling. Even if you believe it’s for my own good. Tsumugi is my advisor, and she is capable of questioning my judgement without your help. And as far as that observation of yours—“

“Yes?”

He saw Orion’s eyes wander to the vase of flowers. “I couldn’t.”

“Why not?”

“Don’t worry about that. I’ll marry someday, when it’s necessary. It’ll be a political marriage, but I’ll find happiness in it somehow.”

Erin groaned and shrugged his shoulders. “You’re so resigned, how depressing!”

“What would you know about it anyway?” Orion laughed a little while he said this, as if it was genuinely amusing to him. “Did you meet many women back in your assassin days?”

“Heh, yeah, right.” Erin hopped off the desk and spun on his heel. He o my wanted to plant the idea in Orion’s head. “Well, don’t work too hard.”

Orion went back to reviewing his papers. “Same to you.”

***

“Ah, Erin!” Tsumugi waved as she spotted Erin at the end of the hall.

The day spent with her father in the city had her bursting with ideas. “Erin, I need you to do something.”

Erin circled back to her from wherever he was headed and joined her, walking. “How nice to hear,” Erin said, laughing. “I love being needed.”

“I had an idea for the park project, and I want to tell the king about it when he’s in a good mood.”

“A good mood?” Erin sighed. “I’m not sure I’ve ever seen him in a good mood.”

“You two apologized and made up like I said, right?”

“Yes, yes, mother. We are being good little boys.”

“Good.”

Erin thought on that for a moment. “Let’s do the presentation in the royal garden,” he said. “When nobody else is there.”

“Right, just the three of us in the garden.”

“I’ll find a time where his schedule will be clear and relay it to you. But until then—“

“It’s a secret!” 

Erin’s eyes widened at her for a moment. Then he relaxed again and smiled. “Yeah, it’ll be a surprise.”

***

The next day, things returned to normal. Tsumugi had breakfast with the king and his attendant. 

“I received a formal invitation,” Orion said. “I am to be thanked by people of the city of Nilam for the expedient solution to the waterworks matter.”

“Wonderful!” Tsumugi was so excited she leaned too hard on the table and hit her ribs. “Public recognition for rebuilding effort will put everyone at ease, and everyone will be able to see you—“

“You’re accepting it.”

She sank back. “What?”

Erin snickered to himself. “I’d argue with him, but it was your work.”

“But I’m just your servant, I just did what you wanted me to do. You should be credited for it!”

“You did what I wanted very well, without my help, and that’s why you’ll be accepting this honor.” 

“King,” Erin groaned. “It’ll look like you’re blowing them off.”

“I’ll go as well, but only to introduce Tsumugi as the mastermind behind all the recent changes.”

“Hmm.” Tsumugi let that sit in her head for a minute. “I suppose it would allow you to look modest, and—“ she leaned forward again, excitement burning in her eyes. “We will get you a full wardrobe change, you’ll be so accessible to the people, they’ll love you!”

“No, no, none of that. I’ll appear as the king of Lama—“

“But if you wore something less military, people would warm up to you.”

“This is Lama. People can’t see me as soft.”

Tsumugi sighed at that. “What do you think, Erin?”

“As much as I’d like to see the king looking all relaxed and normal, it is true that the people of Lama expect a strong, powerful leader.”

“I guess so.” Maybe it was just her own desire to see Orion like that again. 

“Will you write a speech for me? I’m rubbish at this sort of thing.”

“It might be a little odd to write my own congratulations speech...”

“Just have to say ‘This is Tsumugi, she’s the one I assigned to the waterworks problem, and she fixed it efficiently.’ But, more like a King should say it.”

Erin laughed. “How would we know how a king would say it? You’re the only king here.”

“I think I can work with that,” Tsumugi said. “For now, let’s finish breakfast.”

***

Outside the royal chambers, Erin pulled Tsumugi aside.

“This sucks,” he said. “I arranged some time alone with him, but now we need to go to Nilam this week.”

“That’s okay. I can have even more details planned out before then.”

“I know you will.”

Erin raised his hand in a fist and let it hang in the air. Tsumugi looked at it for a second. “What...”

“We need a secret sign,” Erin said. And winked. “Come on.”

Tsumugi presented her first, unsure of what to do next. Erin tapped his knuckles gently into hers.


End file.
